Surveillance
by theanonymouslibrarians
Summary: Graves had no idea why Grindelwald was holding him prisoner, but he wished the man would stop watching him all the time. M for safety. (In which Grindelwald is a creep, but at least not a sadistic one, towards Graves.)


Surveillance

By theanonymouslibrians

Note: Don't own Fantastic Beasts.

The attack happened in his own hotel room. The room had had numerous protection spells cast on it, but somehow Grindelwald had broken through them. Graves put up a fight; it had been the most difficult duel of his life and had lasted over an hour. Long enough for him to see the smug look fade from Grindelwald's face and be replaced with a look of frustration. But in the end, Grindelwald had won and Graves had woken up hours later in a strange bedroom with no way out.

Percival had no idea why Grindelwald was keeping him locked up. When the director woke up after the duel, he'd assumed Grindelwald wanted to draw out his death. To make an example of him. But Grindelwald hadn't tortured him. Hadn't even treated him all that badly. Instead, Graves was kept locked in a large room. He had a bed, books, a toilet, and a shower. Graves' wand had been taken, but he was still able to do small spells. Only things like summoning an object across the room or levitating the furniture, but the walls of his room were heavily warded to prevent escape. Not that Graves didn't try to break the wards; only he was never able to make a hole larger than a dinner plate before passing out. And when Grindelwald returned the dark wizard merely redid the wards with a look that was halfway between exasperation and admiration, as if Graves were a puppy who'd managed to do a seemingly impossible amount of damage despite his owner only being gone for a short amount of time.

What Grindelwald did all day was a mystery to Graves, but during the evenings, he allowed Percival out of the room and into whatever hotel room they were staying in. They had dinner together, with Grindelwald often asking what Graves would prefer to eat and giving him whatever he liked. The first night Grindelwald did this, Percival went along with it fairly placidly, keeping his rebellion to little quips. The next night, Percival waited until Grindelwald had turned before breaking a glass and trying to stab his captor with a shard. Of course Grindelwald caught him before Percival could so much as graze the other wizard. Graves was punished by having a body bind placed on him and the shard of glass being made to hover over his eye, sometimes hurtling towards it only to stop at varying distances from the organ, never quite touching it, all while Grindelwald calmly finished dinner. After that, Graves settled for verbal attacks.

At first Percival thought the other wizard wanted classified information and was trying to get Graves to lower his guard, but Grindelwald never asked him about national secrets. Instead, he talked about ordinary things like Quidditch and the weather, and asked Graves about his day, hobbies, favorite foods, etc. Initially Graves found several colorful ways to tell Grindelwald to fuck off, but after a few days of Gellert Grindelwald as his only companion, Percival started responding when Grindelwald tried to have a conversation. Figuring he had nothing to lose, Graves asked as many questions about the other wizard as possible. Grindelwald was remarkably candid, answering almost every question except the one Percival cared about the most: What did Grindelwald want with him? Whenever Graves asked, Grindelwald would just smile and tell him he'd tell Graves when he wanted Graves to know.

It was a bizarre way to live, but Graves counted himself lucky; he'd seen the corpses of some of Grindelwald's former prisoners. The thing that bothered the auror the most was that Grindelwald was always watching him. At first, Graves thought his captor was keeping an eye on him in case he tried to escape, but it was more than that. He watched Graves' every movement with an intensity that made Graves feel as if Grindelwald was filing each and every observation away. When they were eating, Grindelwald's mismatched eyes followed Graves' hand as it lifted each bite to is mouth. They studied Percival as he rose from the table. If Graves made the smallest gesture, Gellert seemed to take note of it. It was unsettling, but there was nothing Graves could do.

Things went on like this for about a week, when, one day, when Gellert came to get Graves, he tossed Graves a neatly pressed suit and told Graves to change, that they were going out to eat. For a few moments, Graves just stared at him, sure it was some type of trap or joke. But Grindelwald just repeated the command and left the room to give him some privacy.

"Your suit is warded to prevent you from using magic." Grindelwald told him when he returned. "But in case you think about trying to break the wards or trying to run, you should keep in mind that I will be by your side at all times. You'll appear as someone else to the other diners." He cast a charm and Graves could feel his features changing. "If you try to alert them to who you are or I am, or to your predicament, I will kill every last one of them and make you watch. Do you understand?"

Graves nodded silently. He still wasn't sure what was going on.

"Good."

Gellert's features began to change until he looked like a brown-haired man with green eyes. Grabbing hold of Percival's arms, he disapparated them. They reappeared in front of a high-scale restaurant. Graves was tempted to run. They were on a busy street in a wizarding shopping district and surely Grindelwald couldn't…but, no. Grindelwald wasn't as blood thirsty as some of the criminals Graves dealt with, but there had been cases where he'd slaughtered entire crowds of people. Usually there was a reason behind it, but Graves didn't want to find out if his escape would be considered a good enough motive.

They walked up to the front desk and were led to a table in the middle of the restaurant. Percival glanced at the menu and noted that none of the dishes were under 10 galleons.

"Order whatever you want." Grindelwald told him. "You've earned a decent meal."

Graves decided then and there to order the most expensive thing on the menu, but Grindelwald didn't so much as blink when Graves told the waiter. After the waiter had left them alone, Graves lowered his voice.

"Okay, what are we doing here?"

"Eating." Grindelwald replied with a raised brow.

"I know that but…why…why did you bring me here?"

"I thought you could use a change. It can't be easy living in one room."

Percival ignored the jibe. "Is this some type of game?"

"Game? No. I just thought it would be a nice gesture. You know you put up quite a fight, Mr. Graves. I haven't been so challenged in years. Consider this a reward."

Graves didn't believe him for one moment, but doubted that he'd get a better answer. The waiter returned with their food and they ate, Grindelwald making small talk and Graves responding as little as possible. As always, Gellert watched him, paying attention to which forks Graves uses to eat each dish. Following where Graves' eyes went when he looked around the room.

The director wondered if this dinner was a sign that Grindelwald was going to kill him. Was this some type of last supper? But when the dinner came to an end and they returned to the hotel, Grindelwald removed the transfiguration and thanked Graves for having dinner with him. There was a satisfied gleam in Grindelwald's eyes, as if Graves had given him something important. That bothered Graves, but he couldn't begin to imagine what having dinner with the man had revealed.

…..

"What do you like to do on your days off?" Grindelwald asked him one day. It had been a few days since they'd gone out and nothing had changed in their routine.

"I don't have many days off." Graves replied with a chuckle.

"Well, when you do. Do you go to the opera? The theater? Bars?"

"Why do you want to know?"  
"Humor me."

Graves shrugged. "Sometimes the theater. Occasionally bars, but, mostly I just relax."

"What type of theater?"

"I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Testy tonight, aren't you?" Grindelwald raised a brow. "Personally I prefer Shakespearean works, but maybe you prefer-"

"Shakespeare's fine." Graves interrupted him. "Classical plays. And humor. Anything, really. I'm not picky."

Grindelwald nodded, his expression thoughtful. The next day he brought Graves another change of clothes and the same warnings before taking him to a wizarding production of Macbeth.

"This is my favorite of Shakespeare's plays." Gellert whispered to him as the lights dimmed and the play began. "I always wonder whether or not the Weird Sisters were setting Macbeth up. You know, back then, they burned witches so there was really no reason they should-"

"Do you mind?" Graves interrupted, not keen on hearing another speech about how the No Majs oppressed the wizarding world. "The show's starting."

Grindelwald gave a small chuckle and stopped talking. The play was good. The actors were decent, even if the portraits in the No-Maj's castle had no business moving. Graves would have enjoyed it more if Gellert's eyes weren't fixed on him instead of the play the entire time.

…..

After the play Graves momentarily wondered if this was Grindelwald's way of coming on to him; some bizarre courtship. But, as time passed, Gellert never spoke to him or treated him in a way that was inappropriate (at least not sexually). The dark wizard continued to take Graves on little excursions. Sometimes to restaurants, sometimes theaters. Sometimes just for walks. They moved, Graves noted. The hotel room would change, the air would have a different feel to it. But when he asked Grindelwald about this, Graves received evasive answers at best.

Slowly, Percival began to relax. He knew that this couldn't last forever; that whatever Grindelwald had planned for him couldn't be good and that it would happen sooner or later. But Grindelwald never tortured him and was never cruel. The only times he hurt Graves was when an escape attempt nearly succeeded. Of course, even that wasn't acceptable, as Graves was being held against his will and had every right to try to escape, but it was at least somewhat understandable. Instead, Gellert only talked to Graves. Occasionally he asked Percival about M.A.C.U.S.A and its employees, but if Graves refused to answer, he just laughed, and said Graves could keep his secrets but that Grindelwald would find out eventually. He continued to give Graves books and puzzles, allowing him little luxuries.

Percival knew that it was just the psychological effects of having no one but Grindelwald to talk to for...who knew how long, but he was beginning to feel a kind of…not affection or even friendship, but…some type of bond for the man. He hated it, but he couldn't do anything about it. The means of entertainment he had could only do so much. He wanted human company, and Grindelwald was his only source of that.

Then came the night when Percival was sure he was going to die. It started out usual enough (or as usual as life as Grindelwald's prisoner could be). Graves wasn't surprised when Grindelwald told him they were going out again; this had happened several times. He was surprised when Grindelwald didn't make the usual threats or transfigure himself or Graves. Graves wondered, at first, if this was a sign that Grindelwald had begun to trust him and if he could use it to his advantage, but then they'd arrived at their destination and Graves had realized the truth: the only safe place for him there, the Director of Magical Security without his wand and with the warded clothes, was by Grindelwald's side.

Even without knowing what country they were in, Graves was certain that the club's owners and inhabitants could be put away on multiple charges. Men, women, and magical beings in various stages of undress danced on stages. The club's customers lounged around, some tossing coins at the strippers. Others were drinking or taking substances that was illegal almost everywhere in the world. Still others looked like they were doing some type of business, and Graves didn't want to find out what that business was. He could see at least three of M.A.C.U.S.A's most wanted and several more wizards and witches who were tied to various crimes.

Grindelwald lead him through the crowd to a round booth near the back. Graves stuck as close as possible to the other man, aware of the stares several of the patrons gave him. Most, he guessed, were because of his companion, but a few were levelled directly at him. Some full of hatred and others merely with a hunger that made him uncomfortable.

"Why. Did. You. Bring. Me. Here?" Graves hissed, sliding into the seat across from Grindelwald.

Gellert chuckled. "I thought you said you liked bars, Director."

"Bars! Bars! Not sex clubs!"

"Hmm…it's really more of a strip club, although if you're in the mood I'm sure at least one-" He held up a hand at Percival's glare. "A joke! I have to meet someone about a certain object I'm interested in and I was curious to see how you'd react in this…environment. I never dreamed you'd be so repressed!"

"I'm not repressed. This place is obscene! I want to go."

"Soon enough. Once I take care of, ah, here's our host."

Gellert rose to greet two men. One was well over seven feet tall, with biceps the size of pumpkins. Clearly a body guard. Maybe even part giant or troll. The other looked like a short, skinny businessman. There's a sinister air to him and Graves knew he didn't want to cross this man. The bodyguard moved around Grindelwald to slide down te seat until he was seated next to Graves. Before Graves could move to the side, the smaller man took the seat to the other side of him. A small frown let Graves know that Grindelwald didn't like that anymore than Graves did, but he sat down, the frown easing into a simply neutral expression.

"It's good to finally meet you, Mr. Grindelwald." The short man said, glancing at Graves. "I was unaware you were bringing a friend."

"Mr. Graves just came along to have a good time, Mr. Deveraux." Grindelwald flashed Graves a smirk, then turned back to Deveraux. "Thank you for meeting with me. I know you're a busy man."

"Yes, well, we have similar interests. Run in the same circles. We could help one another."

"Exactly…do you have it?"

"No." Deveraux shook his head. "But I know where it can be found."

"And?"  
"And I'm willing to tell you. For a price, of course."  
"5,000 galleons. 2,500 after you tell me where it is and 2,500 more after I get the stone."

Deveraux laughed. "Money!" He gestured at their surroundings. "I have plenty of money."

"Then what do you want?"

Deveraux leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "I hear things. About you. About the other Hollows."

Grindelwald raised a brow, looking mildly amused. "Do you?"

"People say you've been looking for them for most of your life. That you've found one. The most important one."

"People say a lot of things."

"I was wondering if I might see your wand, Mr. Grindelwald."

Graves narrowed his eyes. Did Deveraux want to disarm the other man? Surely he knew that Grindelwald wouldn't be- But, to Graves surprise, Grindelwald simply nodded and drew out a wand… It was Graves' own! Grinding his teeth, Percival tried to summon it to him. It trembled in Grindelwald's hand, but the other wizard had a firm grip on it.

"As you can see, it's not-"

"You're other wand, Mr. Grindelwald." Deveraux's voice had an edge to it now. "That wand clearly belongs to your…friend, and it wants to get back to him."

Grindelwald's lips twitched. "As you wish." He drew out another wand, this one older and made from an odd wood that Graves had never seen before.

Deveraux drew in a deep breath. "It's true, then." He whispered, and reached out a hand as if to take it from Grindelwald, but Gellert put it back in his pocket.

"Yes; it's true. And you can see why I'm eager to find the others. So…your price."

Deveraux straightened again, a look of wariness crossing his face. "Well, Mr. Grindelwald, as I'm sure you know, what you ask is no small tidbit of information. I can't just trade it for a paltry sum of money. I'll need something a bit more valuable than that."  
"You know my reputation. I'm sure I have more than enough artifacts to satisfy your greed. What did you have in mind?"

"The wand."

Graves turned to gape at Deveraux. He had no idea why the man wanted Grindelwald's wand so badly, but he had to know Grindelwald wouldn't trade it. A wand was like an extension of oneself. Graves doubted Grindelwald would give his up for anything Deveraux had to offer.

Gellert didn't look surprise, but he _did_ look grim. "The most valuable Hallow for a different one? You know I won't accept that."

"I had thought so, but I thought to give you a chance."

Suddenly, a hand yanked Graves head back painfully far, and Deveraux's bodyguard pressed his wand to his throat. Graves instinctively tried to twist out of the grip, but the wand dug deeper.

"You're in my club and I have other guards waiting to interfere if you prove difficult to deal with. Roll the wand across to me, or my bodyguard will kill your companion. Then, my guards will kill _you_."

He was going to die, Graves thought. Because even if Grindelwald had kept him around for some reason, there was no way he was going to surrender his wand to save him, and there was nothing preventing Grindelwald from taking out Deveraux's guards. Graves had seen what the man was capable of and had no doubt that _Grindelwald_ would get out of this with barely a scratch. Graves on the other hand, knew he was going to die, and closed his eyes, trying to go to some place in is mind where this wasn't happening.

And then Gellert started to laugh. It had a hysterical quality to it, as if someone had just told the funniest joke in the world and the man had lost the ability to control himself. Graves cursed as sparks shot out of the wand, singeing his skin. Couldn't the man at least muster up enough sympathy to make Graves' last moments relatively quick? But, of course, Graves reminded himself, Grindelwald had no sympathy. Any kindness he'd shown Graves in the time he'd had the director prisoner was because he'd felt like it or benefited from it in some way, not because he cared about Percival.

"Mr. Deveraux. _I_ am the master of the Elder Wand. Surely you don't think your little show of force will intimidate me?"  
"Perhaps you need a demonstration?" Deveraux said, his voice still confident. "Sergei, kill Mr. Graves."

Graves tensed…And then the wand lifted away from his throat and the hand wrapped in his hair released its grip.

"Avada Kedavra." The body guard spoke the words in a monotone, and then slumped to the table, eyes sightless.

It took a second for Graves to process the change, and then he made a grab for the man's wand. He was surprised when Grindelwald didn't stop him, but then there were numerous curses directed at them from around the room. They were stopped by a shield, and then redirected at their casters, leaving at least twelve members of the crowd motionless on the floor. Deveraux leapt to his feet, but Grindelwald reached across the table to grip him by the collar. Graves took the moment to slip under the table and head towards the exit.

"I was hoping I wouldn't need to do this, Mr. Deveraux." Grindelwald said, his tone soft, almost a whisper. "But I'm afraid you leave me no choice. Clearly you were misinformed about my temperament. Well, rest at ease knowing that, after tonight, your _patrons_ will never make that mistake."

Percival stayed on his knees, crawling under tables until he was at least halfway across the room. Then he rose and pushed his way through the crowd, some of whom were staring at the spectacle, others who were trying to escape as well. He tried to disapparate, but found that the warded clothes prevented him. He hoped he could make it to some place he could change before Grindelwald noticed he was gone. Emerging from the club, he ran down the street, dodging around some people and shoving others aside. He ran until he felt like his sides were going to split, and then ducked into an alley way. Not allowing himself time to catch his breath, he started tearing at the fabric.

"An excellent decision." A familiar voice said in his ear, and Graves whirled around to find himself face to face with Grindelwald. "You could have gotten trampled to death if you'd stayed too much longer. I'm sure some people have."

Graves started to back away, but the other wizard grabbed his arm and disapparated. They were back in the hotel room. Graves started to cast a stunning spell, but the wand caught fire in his hand. Dropping it, Graves bit his lip in pain, holding his hand up to look at it.

"I apologize, Director, but…well, you weren't going to surrender it willingly." Grindelwald raised his hand and Graves flinched, expecting punishment, but instead, Gellert took Graves' hand gently in his own. He murmured something Graves didn't understand and the pain in his hand eased, the burns healing. "Let me see your neck." Not wanting to jeopardize his safety, Graves tilted his head back. A finger ran over where the sparks had burned him and Graves felt a tingle that let him know those were healed too. "That's better. Nothing else?" Graves shook his head. "Good." Grindelwald turned away and headed towards the kitchen.

Graves let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Deveraux?" He asked, following his captor.

"He should be dead by now. I stabbed him in the stomach and cursed the wound so it couldn't heal. It should be a slow, painful death." Grindelwald rummaged through the cabinets, withdrawing different ingredients before waving a hand and setting them to cook on the stove. "I would have let you have a say, but you ran." He gave Graves a pointed look.

"Do you expect me to apologize?" Graves dropped into a chair at the table.

"Of course not. But it did make things a bit more difficult…"  
"If you hadn't brought me there none of that would have happened." Percival couldn't keep the growl out of his voice, fear fading and anger taking its place as his mind started to process the night's events.

"You're angry." Grindelwald sighed, and sat down across from Graves. "You have every right to be. More so than you even realize. But I promise you I never thought it would go quite so far. I mean, I expected some type of double-cross, but I didn't think Deveraux would be quite so stupid to actually take you hostage or try to kill me."

"Oh, so you assumed that everyone was so afraid of you they'd just give you whatever you wanted without-" Graves paused as Grindelwald waved a hand at the now simmering pot and dishes of pasta placed themselves in front of them. "without bothering to-"

Gellert scowled. "Are you going to act like this all dinner?"

"Why shouldn't I? You've kept me prisoner for…"

"Three weeks." Grindelwald supplied helpfully.

"Three weeks, and I almost died tonight because you wanted some stone."

"I wouldn't have let them kill you. That would be like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. Now, please-"

"And that's another thing!" Graves realized his voice was rising, but couldn't bring himself to try to control it. "Why the hell am I here? You don't ask me anything. You haven't mentioned holding me for ransom. And you don't torture me. All you do is keep me here and treat me like some kind of pet! I'm tired of-"

"Okay!" Grindelwald interrupted him. "Enough! This night's been nothing but a disappointment; he had no idea where the Resurrection Stone was, he just wanted the-"

"I don't care about your-"

"I don't need your attitude."

Graves' eyes widened. "My attitude?! You're-"

"If I tell you why I'm keeping you here will you shut up and sit down?"

Graves wanted to say no and continue to list all his grievances, but this was the one question that Graves wanted answered the most. "I'll consider it."

Gellert scoffed, but looked slightly uncomfortable. "You're not going to like it."

"What would give you the impression that I liked any of this?"  
The other wizard shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "I was going to tell you soon, anyway. Once we got back to America."

"We're going to America?"  
"Yes. New York, in fact." Gellert paused. "In your absence it's been beset by numerous attacks."

"You attacked-"

"Not by me. The attacks match the description of those done by an obscurus."

"An obscurus? There hasn't been an-"

"Of course there have been. I had a friend whose sister was one. They're rare but do develop occasionally."

This peaked Graves interest. "You have friends?"

Grindelwald rolled his eyes. "Try to stay focused. An obscurus, if taught how to control its power, could be a strong ally. A game changer. But I can't just go to New York and hope M.A.C.U.S.A stays out of my way while I search for the obscurus."

"So you plan on using me as a hostage to get them to cooperate? It'll never work."  
"No, I plan on becoming you." Graves stared at his captor, unsure of exactly what he was saying. And then Grindelwald morphed and Graves was staring at a perfect replica of himself. Grindelwald had the nerve to laugh. "The look on your face…or, our face, I suppose. I'm going to take your place and use your rather considerable power and freedom to look for the obscurus."

"It'll never work. They'll know-"

"It's worked for the past three weeks." Grindelwald interrupted. "Every day, I've been going to your job. As you. None of your colleagues have noticed the difference. I've had lots of opportunities to observe you in different situations, and what I don't know I can find out." There was a sympathetic look on his…no, Graves' face. "I'm sorry but I-" Graves flung his plate of pasta at the dark wizard. Grindelwald let the disguise drop and raised a hand. "Graves! I know you're-" Graves grabbed Grindelwald's plate and threw that, too. "You're overreacting-" Percival dove towards the stove for the still hot pan, but he was thrown across the room, pinned to the wall. "I know you're upset. I understand, but I can't deal with this tonight. I've already had to-"

"Oh, poor you!" Graves bit out. "You can't get your precious stone! I-" Suddenly he was back in his room and Grindelwald was nowhere in sight. "The fuck!" Graves yelled, throwing everything he could at the wards. "You can't just say that and lock me up again!" Nothing. "I know you can hear me you son of a bitch! I…oh…" A sudden wave of fatigue came over him, and Graves knew what was happening. "Coward…" Percival muttered, as he collapsed on the floor, vision going black.


End file.
